hack that TOTE: Mix & Match Elements to Create Your Perfect Bag
by Mary Abreu
C & T Publishing
106 pages; softcover print copy, $24.95; e-book, $16.99
“The only limits to the options, really, are your imagination and willingness to try!” This may be one of the best intro sentences we’ve a while. Because that IS the very essence of making tote bags, purses, music, scarves, bags, pizza, quilts, cinnamon rolls and pillows: imagination and willingness! While experienced author Mary Abreu may not have intended to hit a grand slam in her first 3 paragraphs, she did.
Each tote in her detailed book starts with the same basic structure and moves on from there with add-ons and extras that build totes as simple as book bags or as complex as many-pocketed purses that hold everything. Which means we can make the tote to carry all of our quilt supplies to each retreat, one of Mary’s classes, or Quilt Festival. Wouldn’t that be great? A huge pocket for the cutting mat, a place for essential rulers, a secure zippered pocket for the rotary cutter and extra blades, clear pockets for pens, pencils, paper and…oh, this might get to be something big and complex. That’s all right, though, because Mary’s book will take us through all of the steps to make sure this bag will securely hold everything–and do it in style.
Fabrics make a difference in totes, that’s for sure. Quilting cottons will last for a good while but with lots of use they will begin to show wear in certain places. (No prob, right? There’s always more fabric to make a new one!) Tightly woven canvas will last longer and leather or suede even longer–for years, perhaps–with some care. Mary leads us through interfacings and stabilizers that make a huge difference in tote performance, giving extra body, maintaining shape and adding longevity.
If you’re zipper-phobic, no worries! Mary’s got you covered, too. Her tutorial will walk you right through installing a zipper with ease.
As we paged through this new release, we saw so many must-make bags, and then when we got to the Zip Top Purse, the drooling began in earnest. This is a bag that will simply make a quilter go all fan-girl with the possibilities. Pull out the Tula and have a grand time centering the design, adding the really cool handles, fire up the sewing machine and stitch away.
Mary’s technique tips really excel, such as her interfacing method for making sturdy handles that will stand up to the weight of whatever is in the bag, yet with a cleaner edge and a polished finish.
So now we’re back to that point about your imagination being the only limit. Seriously. It’s just like free-motion quilting. Once you understand how the machine, needles, thread and you work together, the practicing and stitching become so much easier. And once you understand the basic principles of fabric, machine, hardware, software, you’ll be able to build about any tote you can dream up.
And of course we have an opportunity for you to win a copy of hack that TOTE! Make your comment below, telling us your favorite morning beverage, and we’ll randomly draw a winning name on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The winner will win either a softcover print copy (U.S.) or an e-book (International).
Quilt. Sew. Live. Breathe
Oh, Q-bies, don’t forget to check out the other blog tour participants to see what they thought of Mary’s book and for more opportunities to win a copy.
Congratulations comment #35, Terry. You are a winner of a copy of hack that TOTE! We will contact you by email shortly!
9/27 C&T Publishing
9/28 Sue O’Very
9/29 Gen Q Teri Lucas
9/30 Patty Murphy
10/1 Vanessa Lynch
10/2 Lindsay Conner
10/3 Stephanie Moore
10/4 Katy Cameron
10/5 Kim Niedzwiecki
10/6 Mary Abreu
COMMENT #1
Peppermint coffee! I can just imagine sipping a cup while paging through my new book!
COMMENT #2
My favorite morning beverage is green tea with honey from local bees.
COMMENT #3
My favorite morning beverage is of course coffee!
COMMENT #4
My favorite morning beverage is hot mint tea with a lot of lemon. Actually I drink it all day just add ice.
COMMENT #5
My favorite morning beverage is, of course, coffee, but with a splash of English Toffee syrup!
COMMENT #6
COFFEEEEE. and lots of it
COMMENT #7
Green tea
COMMENT #8
Currently, my favorite morning beverage is a chocolate chai latte.
COMMENT #9
Iced coffee
COMMENT #10
Favorite morning beverage? Very easy… coffee! Looks like an interesting book.
COMMENT #11
Must have morning coffee is a dark roast. Thanks for giveaway.
COMMENT #12
My favorite morning beverage is coffee! Only water for the rest of the day.
COMMENT #13
My fave morning beverage is strong coffee!
COMMENT #14
Coffee for certain, first thing in the morning, followed by strong black tea
COMMENT #15
A cold Coke. I admit it. (I know–white trash a-go-go, right?)
COMMENT #16
My favorite morning beverage is hot black tea with stevia and french vanilla creamer. It tastes decadent and I get my morning caffeine!
I am a bag-aholic! I love bags. I would love to win the book so that I can create more bags!
COMMENT #17
Orange Cinnamon tea
COMMENT #18
I’m a sweet tea girl- sugar and caffeine.
COMMENT #19
Hot tea for me.
COMMENT #20
Hot tea . . . . Good Earth!
COMMENT #21
Loving all the bags
being shown. I just
drink fat free, skim
milk in the mornings.
Carla from Utah
COMMENT #22
Oh, that’s so easy…I can’t live without my tall 16 oz glass of unsweetened iced green tea. My sister got me hooked this winter in FL and there is no looking back.
Thank you for this giveaway. It looks fantastic!
COMMENT #23
Hot tea for me! Earl Gray or Downton Abbey Christmas Tea, with a bit of stevia – the perfect way to start a day, especially now that fall temperatures have arrived. (I drink the same teas all summer, I just put ice in them when it’s hot outside.) And I’d love to win this book! Thanks.
COMMENT #24
Peppermint mocha in the cooler months and iced hazelnut coffee in the warmer months.
COMMENT #25
Coffee!!! Is there really any other answer??!!?!
COMMENT #26
Chocolate milk is a must!
COMMENT #27
Thanks for the thorough review of this book. I definitely will get it, one way or another! My favorite morning beverage is coffee with hazelnut creamer.
COMMENT #28
Tea for me.
COMMENT #29
You mean my favourite morning beverage besides a mimosa, right? 😉 … but seriously, my day can’t start without a cuppa strong tea with milk.
COMMENT #30
Definitely coffee! I try to limit myself to one cup a day and it’s my morning treat!
COMMENT #31
Coffee, Black Silk wakes me up 🙂
COMMENT #32
Coffee, lots of it!
COMMENT #33
Strong black coffee is my morning beverage of choice.
COMMENT #34
My fav is the hot white mocha from starbucks, but seeing as how I am not rich I drink my folgers coffee at home every morning 😉
COMMENT #35
Cafe Mocha :o)
COMMENT #36
I actually don’t drink coffee or tea. Though I do love a good steamed milk when I get the chance! This looks like s great book that I would love to put to use.
COMMENT #37
Hot chocolate x
COMMENT #38
Definitely coffee!
COMMENT #39
Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING (especially coffee)